New council on a mission to clean up dog fouling blight

“After many complaints, new dog fouling control measures will be coming into place and people who do not clean up after their dogs will be more likely be issued with fixed penalties,” he said.

According to Mr Ramsey, notification of the new byelaws will be issued soon.

Revealing that he had been in contact with senior council officials in the public health department, Mr Ramsey said: “Our DUP Assembly office is continually being contacted about dog fouling across the council area and as a result of my discussions with council staff, I have been advised that new dog control orders are coming on stream, which the council advised had helped in other parts of the Province.

“Dog fouling is the number one complaint in the UK and new bye laws are coming into place to try and combat this blight on our society. Our parks, sports areas, footpaths and even cemeteries are being affected by this blight of fouling.

“Everyone is well aware of the health and safety issues with dog fouling, so it is difficult to understand why pet lovers put others at risk in this way. It must be acknowledged that the vast majority of dog owners act responsibly and clean up after their pets. Only 12 fixed penalties were issued in the last year, but that is expected to increase dramatically with the new by-laws.”